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Commonwealth of Pennsylvania |
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POSITION DESCRIPTION FOR JOB POSTING |
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Position Number: 50367910 |
Description Activated On: 2/13/2026 10:30:09 AM |
Position Purpose: Describe the primary purpose of this position and how it contributes to the organization’s objectives. Example: Provides clerical and office support within the Division to ensure its operations are conducted efficiently and effectively. This position is responsible for leading the coordination, development, and maintenance of an integrated search and rescue (SAR) response program to ensure that the Commonwealth can provide effective SAR services. This includes collaborating with stakeholders from all various SAR disciplines to include, but not limited to wilderness, floodwater/swiftwater, and urban SAR, to ensure program objectives and national program mandates are being achieved. In addition, this position serves as the Commonwealth’s Search and Rescue Coordinator and may be called upon to respond to incidents within the Commonwealth or nationally, as well represent the Commonwealth on committees and/or task forces that influence national policy related to SAR and its specialties. |
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Description of Duties: Describe in detail the duties and responsibilities assigned to this position. Descriptions should include the major end result of the task. Example: Types correspondence, reports, and other various documents from handwritten drafts for review and signature of the supervisor. Works under the direct supervision of the Director, Bureau of External Operations to advise and assist on all SAR related matters and other related response programs as needed. PLANNING and PROGRAM MANAGEMENT: Formulates and develops the concepts, goals, and objectives for an integrated statewide search and rescue program. Coordinate and consult with Federal, State, county and municipal emergency management, health, law enforcement, public safety and other officials and representatives from volunteer service organizations, private business and industry, hospitals and medical care facilities and other entities, to establish, develop and maintain a program that will ensure a capable search and rescue capability for actual or potential disasters in this Commonwealth. Responsible for the planning, coordination, training, credentialing, and program management of the state-recognized specialized search and rescue teams. Responsible for the development, implementation, and evaluation of administrative SAR policies, procedures, plans, agreements, and requirements for statewide SAR program implementation. Assists with the development of policies and procedures related to search and rescue (SAR) teams of varying disciplines, such as wilderness/land, flood water /swift water, urban, and others. Responsible for the overseeing the staffing, planning, coordination, operation, training, and program management of the PA Helicopter Search and Rescue Program (HSAR), including the Helicopter Aquatic Rescue Team (PA-HART). Implement programs and processes to assist local governments during natural and human-caused emergencies and disasters with SAR response. Identify, meet, and plan with resource groups, associated agencies, and organizations to ensure adequate SAR capabilities exist for timeliness and effectiveness. Implement a continuous evaluation process to ensure validation of the capability and capacity of current SAR resources as well as evaluate any potential gaps in within the program as a whole. In coordination with the Division of Logistics and Resource Management, maintains a listing of available search and rescue resources within the Commonwealth, including all appropriate documentation. Contributes to the Commonwealth Emergency Operations Plan (CEOP), CEOP ESF-9 Annex, Commonwealth Air Operations Plan, and other operational plans, as required. Maintain the Commonwealth’s Mass Search and Rescue Concept of Operation (CONOP); including providing training and familiarization on it. Provides technical assistance to other state agencies, regional counterterrorism task forces, and other jurisdictions in the development and maintenance of SAR related plans and programs. Coordinates with the Bureau of Planning, Training, and Exercise (PTE) to schedule the delivery of required training and to integrate SAR objectives into state exercises. Coordinates with the State Fire Academy (SFA), Department of Conservation of Natural Resources (DCNR), and the Fish and Boat Commission (PFBC) for the annual training of new SAR students and the currency standards of personnel in various SAR disciplines (land/wilderness, water, urban) Commonwealth-wide. Continuously evaluate the status of SAR resource capabilities to identify gaps in acceptable SAR mission capability both regionally and the Commonwealth as a whole. deployable personnel and equipment. Assists with development of operational planning function during CRCC activations. Coordinate all SAR functions within the purview of PEMA to include: - Compile and analyze SAR data, - Vet and prioritize requests for assistance, - Allocate resources to SAR incidents, as appropriate, -Monitor and direct response activities for organizations at various levels of governments, as well as private organizations during natural and human-caused emergencies and disasters. Revises plans, policies, and procedures to ensure interface with SAR assets at all levels of governments and NGOs through mutual aid agreements, regional compacts, memorandum of understanding/agreement, etc. Develops and refines PEMA Resource Support and Coordination procedures regarding SAR assets for use during normal and expanding operations and during the transition from the response phase to the recovery phase of an emergency or disaster. Develops and refines procedures for handling requests for assistance received by PEMA. ORGANIZING, DIRECTING, and SETTING WORK STANDARDS: Supervisor over helicopter rescue technician positions, responsible for approving time and travel; planning, organizing, and assigning work; settings goals; and performs Quality Control (QC) checks on employee products. Continuously evaluates staffing requirements; including recruiting qualified personnel, refining position descriptions/requirements, and ensuring ongoing training and performance management. Evaluate program support systems, including the ESF 9 SAR cell in the CRCC, to identify areas for improvement. Makes recommendations for improvements to existing systems and the implementation of new systems. FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT Financial management includes planning, purchasing, and distribution of equipment and training, and maintaining communication with any/all sub-grantees to ensure adherence to local, state, and federal fiscal policies. Understand and enforce Commonwealth policies and procedures as they apply to statewide specialized response teams. Prepares and coordinates contracts for all statewide specialized response team services and utilizes existing procurement systems to purchase goods and equipment. Conduct grant management of multi-year Homeland Security funding, which includes maintaining knowledge of Federal grant regulations, accounting for expenditures, and auditing of sub-contracted funding, quarterly reconciliation and close out. Provides input to operational budget and capital procurement plans. TRAINING & STANDARDS Oversee and manage the development and presentation of training and exercises in support of program assignments to include: - Identify areas of need, - Develop curriculum, - Establish plan of instruction and presentation guidelines, - Solicit student participation, - Train and oversee instructor cadre for state-level programs, - Develop and monitor budget for training activities. Continually evaluate and assess SAR training effectiveness against the needs and standards of the SAR Program. Coordinates with TED (and others, as required) for delivery of SAR training programs needed to ensure PEMA and other Commonwealth personnel and responders can perform emergency duties. Reviews existing programs, as well as those requiring development, to meet identified needs. Participate in qualification systems, such as PQS and PIMAS, that may establish standards for the administration, composition, training, and equipping of SAR specialized response teams. DISASTER EMERGENCY OPERATIONS Conducts detailed risk and hazard assessment to ascertain potential capability gaps for all Emergency Support Function (ESF) 9 operations statewide during emergencies and disasters. Contact, communicate, and coordinate with SAR resource providers prior to and during incidents and disasters to determine operational availability and type. Updates SOPs/SOGs to reflect current operational structure and procedures in accordance with plans and current practices. This position may have oversight for support operations of all Emergency Services Group resources (state, county, municipal SAR teams) in the Commonwealth Response Coordination Center (CRCC). Coordinates Resource Support activities within the Emergency Services Group to support day-to-day, disasters, and Continuity of Operations (COOP) activities. May oversee personnel from PEMA and other ESF #9 agencies assigned to the CRCC and/or on scene during an emergency to ensure SAR coverage timely, appropriate execution response operations. As directed by the CRCC Incident Support Manager (ISM), activates, and leads the ESF 9 SAR Cell within the CRCC. Coordinates with personnel deployed on emergency responses to ensure appropriate documentation of personnel and equipment provided, daily equipment use, claims for damaged items (machinery and personal protective equipment), maintenance or restoration of equipment to pre-deployment condition, food and equipment purchases, contractual services and any other expense authorized for use in the deployment. Receives and analyzes requests for assistance, evaluates, and then responds to requests for assistance with the appropriate resources. Provides, when requested and appropriate, SAR coordination either on scene or virtually. Provide SAR data, situational analysis, and response projections as necessary and appropriate. Provides direction, whether individually, or in conjunction with other PEMA staff, state, and/or NGOs, to accomplish SAR missions/taskings. MISC. Prepare correspondence, reports, documents, etc. for review and approval. Prepare annual and quarterly statewide SAR reports. OVERSIGHT Sets expectation that are clear, well-communicated, and relate to the goals and objectives of the statewide specialized response team program. Establishes and maintains relationships with SAR team leaders to promote integrated SAR response across the Commonwealth. Provides team leaders and staff with frequent, constructive feedback, including after action reviews and interim evaluations, as appropriate. Ensures team leaders and staff have the necessary knowledge, skills, and abilities to accomplish goals. Addresses and documents performance issues as they occur. Reviews and communicates safety issues to assure a safe and healthy operating environment during exercises, training, and response. Performs other related duties as assigned. NOTATION OF SCHEDULE: During an emergency, employee may be required to work 12-hour shifts. Employee may have their work schedule and/or hours changed or modified based on the emergency and assignment needs. Except for emergencies, changes to schedules and workhours will be provided at least two weeks in advance. EMERGENCY ASSIGNMENT This employee is an Essential Worker. Performs tasks to be assigned during periods of emergencies. Such tasks may differ from normal day-today routine. These emergency assignments are, at times, received with little or no advance notice and may last for any period of time ranging from a few hours to several weeks or more, depending on the nature of the circumstance. The emergency assignments are sometimes performed under adverse (less than favorable) conditions and may require travel to a disaster site for short or extended periods of time. Operate a motor vehicle to travel to various field sites and emergency/disaster locations. This position performs operational assignments as required during actual emergencies. Position may serve in the Commonwealth Response Coordination Center and must be available to work outside of the normal work hours, to include weekends and overnights, when activated. Works closely with interagency partners, including, but not limited to, law enforcement, on SAR and missing persons issues and collaborates on agency response as a member of local or state unified commands. Responsible for completing mandatory FEMA Independent Study Courses as requested. + IS-100 Introduction to ICS + IS-700 Introduction to NIMS + IS-800 National Response Framework + IS 2200 – Basic EOC Functions (online) Performs other related duties as assigned. A person in this position may be eligible for telework. |
Decision Making: Describe the types of decisions made by the incumbent of this position and the types of decisions referred to others. Identify the problems or issues that can be resolved at the level of this position, versus those that must be referred to the supervisor. Example: In response to a customer inquiry, this work involves researching the status of an activity and preparing a formal response for the supervisor’s signature. 1. Uses independent judgment to make technical and professional decisions on a daily basis, such as interpreting relevant codes and standards to determine compliance or conformity. 2. Plan, organize and bring assignments to completion. 3. Researches and makes recommendations on the continuous improvement and program management of the SAR program. 4. Documents any recurring problems that will help in the diagnosis of corrective actions prior to the next operation. 5. Assignment in the CRCC to assist with and provide independent judgment in the guidance to assigned personnel to accomplish objectives and desired outcomes in a potentially rapidly changing environment. 6. Makes resource allocation decisions in a potentially information constrained and rapidly changing environment. 7. Provides guidance to assigned personnel to accomplish incident objectives and achieve desired outcomes. |
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Requirements Profile: Identify any specific experience or requirements, such as a licensure, registration, or certification, which may be necessary to perform the functions of the position. Position-specific requirements should be consistent with a Special Requirement or other criteria identified in the classification specification covering this position. Example: Experience using Java; Professional Engineer License Experience: Structural Collapse Technician IAW NFPA 1006 Completion of TEEX PER213 Wide Area Search or USCG Inland SAR Planning Course Preferred (Any of the following) FEMA Planning Practitioner Project Management Professional (PMP) Certification National Fire Academy (NFA)_Special Operations Program management R0254 Licenses, registrations, or certifications: 1. Class C Driver's License 2. N/A 3. N/A 4. N/A 5. N/A 6. N/A |
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Essential Functions: Provide a list of essential functions for this position. Example: Transports boxes weighing up to 60 pounds.
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